Larry Shenk, Vice President of Alumni Relations, shares his notes, quotes and anecdotes from the world of baseball.

Answering E-Mails

From David: I grew up in northern Bucks County and attended games at Connie Mack Stadium and watched many Phillies games on TV. In a discussion with SABR members, we got on the subject of players actually hitting the ball when the pitcher was trying to intentionally walk them. My memory obviously can be wrong, but it tells me that in the mid-60s, during a game I watched Clay Dalrymple did exactly that, getting a single over the third baseman. Is there anyone still in the organization who might remember if that occurred?

“I’ve been around the Phillies since 1964 and I don’t remember such a situation. I never found scorebooks from prior to 1964. Chances are it would never be noted in a scorebook, anyway. However, since you mentioned Clay Dalrymple, I gave him a call. While he couldn’t recall specifics such as the team or the pitcher or the year, he did remember taking a swing at a pitch while being intentionally walked. ‘I was a pull hitter and liked the ball in but the first two pitches were just off the plate, maybe 1-2 inches outside, almost close enough to be called a strike. I thought to myself, I can go out there and get an opposite field hit if the third pitch was close. I swung and hit a line drive but the ball went foul. Next two pitches were way outside.’”

From Alex: Will Willie Montanez be appearing at this year’s Alumni Night on August 13?“Willie isn’t on our invitation list. Good suggestion for the future years. We try to rotate out-of-town Alumni for that night and weekend. Still working on those who will be here. I can tell you three of our Alumni who tossed no-hitters, Jim Bunning, Rick Wise and Tommy Greene, will be there. We tried to get Terry Mulholland but he has another commitment.”

From Michael: I have a Phillies hat from the early to mid 90″s. It is all blue with a red “P”. I believe it was worn in games and I am curious as to what year the hat was worn by the team. Can you send me a brief history of Phillies hats, or can you help me get in touch with some one that can help me? Cheyenne, WY.

“The hat to which you are referring was worn in 1994. Our idea was for day games but after we lost so many day games, superstition took over and we discontinued wearing them. You must be the only person in Wyoming wearing such a hat.”

From John: I love John Kruk but Dave Cash deserves to be in the Wall of Fame. I credit him with being the first to change the losing attitude to a positive ‘Yes We Can.’

“You are correct in that Dave Cash helped change the losing attitude. However, he doesn’t qualify for our Wall of Fame as he played only three seasons with the Phillies. To be eligible, a player must have five or more years of service. In addition, position players require a minimum of 700 games, while pitchers need a minimum of 180 games to fully qualify.”

From Ed: As a long-time Phillies fan dating back to the late 1950’s, I am generally interested in seeing the names of players chosen every year for the annual Wall of Fame award. While I think John Kruk is probably deserving, I hope the selection committee will not neglect people who played for the team 30, 40 and 50 years ago. In that context, I would like to suggest consideration next year of two other players who distinguished themselves for the Phillies in the 1960’s, the 1970’s and early 1980’s.They are Tony Gonzales and Ron Reed

“Both Tony Gonzalez and Ron Reed have been on our ballot and neither received many votes so they were no longer included. Granted Tony was on the ballot during our Veterans Stadium days. Ron has been more recent. A group of us reviews the eligible Alumni every January in deciding the names for the ballot. It is possible one or both could be on the 2012 ballot. We’ll have to wait and see.”

From Janice: Are the Phillies having another Alumni Luncheon for Seniors and if so, when?”

“We’ve added the luncheon to our August Alumni weekend. It will be held on Thursday noon, August 11, with the Wall of Fame inductions on Friday, August 12, Alumni Night on Saturday, August 13 and some new Alumni surprises for Sunday, August 14. Tickets are on sale now for the luncheon that will include John Kruk, Mitch Williams, Jim Bunning, Tony Taylor, Rick Wise and Tommy Greene. Details on how to buy tickets are on this website.”

From Roy: Whatever happened to Bobby Wine?“Bobby has retired from baseball after 54 years in the game, 16 as a player, 19 as a major league coach and 19 as an advance scout in the majors. He was the Braves’ advance scout for the last 14 years, working with Bobby Cox. In the next edition of Phillies Magazine, the Alumni feature called ‘Catching Up With…’ will be about Bobby.”

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